AbstractThe United Nations identifies 49 countries as belonging to the group of least developed countries (LDCs), based on three criteria: low income, weak human assets and high economic vulnerability. Thirty-three are in Africa, ten in Asia, one in the Caribbean and five in the Pacific. At present, of the 49 LDCs, 48 are Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. An up-to-date list of the LDCs is maintained at: .

Article 4.9 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognizes special situations of the LDCs and states:
“The Parties shall take full account of the specific needs and special situations of the least developed countries in their actions with regard to funding and transfer of technology.”